Using conversation markers

Markers are powerful tools to support conversation analysis and information sharing. Users can bookmark the recording by adding markers. A marker is a specific section of a conversation (highlighted in the waveform pane) with related notes. This facilitates conversation reviews and helps information sharing and collaboration with other users e.g. supervisors or managers.

The following figure illustrates the key elements of the marker information pane:

Available marker controls:

Marker Control Icon	Feature	Description
	Mark selected timeframe	Creates a marker for the timeframe selected in the waveform window. To select a timeframe, follow these steps: Move the mouse over the timeline area. Press the left mouse button and drag to the left/right to select a timeframe. Release the mouse button.
	Delete marker	Deletes the marker.
	Play marked timeframe	Starts playing the corresponding marked timeframe.
	Play marked timeframe continuously	Plays the corresponding marked timeframe repeatedly.
	Export marked audio segment	Exports the marked audio segment.
	Modify marker	After marking a certain timeframe, the user can modify the starting and ending position of the marker by clicking on the up/down arrows next to the timeframe starting and ending time values. The values are incremented or decreased by one second for each click. The markers can also be repositioned by dragging and moving the left or right border of the markers in the waveform pane (the mouse cursor changes when the feature is available on the borders).

The following table summarizes the available controls for saving or adding new markers:

Control Icon	Feature	Description
	Show/Hide markers	Shows or hides the markers on the waveform pane.
	Add new marker	Add new marker element row. By default, only five positions are displayed.
	Save markers	Apply all changes for all markers. Saves, modifies or deletes the markers in the database.

After successfully marking a timeframe, other users, who are authorized to play back the given conversation (e.g. group or system supervisors), can easily review and play back the marked section of the conversation. Markers that were placed by a given user cannot be modified or deleted by other users. The name of the user that placed the marker is displayed in the marker information tab.

On conversation lists, an M mark indicates that one or more markers have been assigned to the conversation.

Markers can be added with the Verba XML Service too. For more information refer to Adding markers to an ongoing conversation.